1984 by George Orwell

 

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Reviewed by Guest Reviewer

 Owen Powell

First published in 1949 by acclaimed novelist George Orwell, 1984 is an iconic piece of fiction that serves as an ominous glimpse into a dystopian future where freedom of speech, and indeed of thought, has been outlawed. 

Airstrip 1 (formerly known as Great Britain) is now governed by the all-powerful and seemingly untouchable political party known as INGSOC. The Party’s means of maintaining complete control over it’s citizens, as to avoid them thinking for themselves, are quite extreme to say the least. Utilizing bone-chilling methods such as observing the population’s every move through the use of telescreens hidden throughout London (they are constantly reminded of this by the mass of posters depicting the face of the Party’s seemingly omniscient leader known only as Big Brother, with a caption reading ‘BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU’ running beneath it.)Reforming language itself into ‘Newspeak’ in order to discourage political debate, and “removing” those who dare to act of their own accord.

We experience what nightmarish effects this totalitarian regime has on London society through the eyes of Winston Smith, a low-ranking member of the outer-party who begins to have doubts about his superiors, a dangerous act indeed, seeing as The Party has outlawed all negative thoughts about itself, Big Brother, and its seemingly perfect history as a ‘thoughtcrime’. 

Unlike most novellas that harbor an external conflict between differentiating characters, the conflict in 1984 exists within the confines of Winston’s own mind. We see first-hand the internal struggle Winston suffers as he experiences these illegal doubts about The Party, which contrast greatly with everything that he was indoctrinated to believe.In true Matrix-like fashion, Winston must decide whether to continue to live his bleak and depressing life as a member of the Party, swallowing every lie that he is fed and regurgitating them out to the general public, or to break free from the illusion and discover what’s really on the other side of the curtain.

Whilst reading 1984, I (much like many other readers, I’m sure) could not help but to compare the striking similaritiesof the dystopian society created by George Orwell to our own modern-day society. For example, the telescreens he describes as being almost everywhere to ensure that the general public remain docile bare a striking resemblance to the CCTV cameras of our time. Who’s to say Big Brother isn’t at the other end of those cameras as well? 

There are also many other similarities that crop up throughout the book, such as the way media and politicians alter the truth to influence the minds of the general public. Although, whilst I recognize and appreciate the importance of this masterful piece of literature, it does focus rather heavily on the setting and the exposition of this dark world more than anything else.

 As a result of this, I believe the story to be somewhat lacking. This is by no means a bad read, far from it, but for me 1984 could have benefited from a little more depth in it’s somewhat basic story and a little less exposition and world-building.

1984 is divided into three parts, I found part one to serve simply as an observation of this dystopia through the eyes of someone who lives at the center of it. To me, little happens story-wise throughout these first nine chapters, although they do serve a purpose as to introduce the foundations of this world and how everything works under the oppressive rule of The Party. The lack of story, however, is my only minor gripe with the novel. It remains a compelling read throughout, the way Orwell constructs this futuristic nightmare through the use of masterful literature will fully immerse you into it’s world and will keep your attention throughout. You need only look at some of the iconic quotes from this novel to truly appreciate it’s significance as one of the greatest works of fiction of all time. Quotes such as ‘Who controls the past controls the future, who controls the present controls the past’, ‘Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious.’ And ‘Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.’ As well as it’s numerous screen adaptations and influence on popular media to this day, prove that this novel is regarded highly around the world for good reason.

Although somewhat dissatisfied with the minimal story, I found 1984 to be a very compelling and engaging read which succeeded in captivating my attention throughout.I akm glad to have read it and I would definitely recommend it to fans of the dystopian-future genre, if they have not yet read it already.

About the Author...

Orwell was born Eric Arthur Blair on 25 June 1903 in eastern India, the son of a British colonial civil servant. He was educated in England and, after he left Eton, joined the Indian Imperial Police in Burma, then a British colony. He resigned in 1927 and decided to become a writer. In 1928, he moved to Paris where lack of success as a writer forced him into a series of menial jobs. He described his experiences in his first book, 'Down and Out in Paris and London', published in 1933. He took the name George Orwell, shortly before its publication. This was followed by his first novel, 'Burmese Days', in 1934.

An anarchist in the late 1920s, by the 1930s he had begun to consider himself a socialist. In 1936, he was commissioned to write an account of poverty among unemployed miners in northern England, which resulted in 'The Road to Wigan Pier' (1937). Late in 1936, Orwell travelled to Spain to fight for the Republicans against Franco's Nationalists. He was forced to flee in fear of his life from Soviet-backed communists who were suppressing revolutionary socialist dissenters. The experience turned him into a lifelong anti-Stalinist.

Between 1941 and 1943, Orwell worked on propaganda for the BBC. In 1943, he became literary editor of the Tribune, a weekly left-wing magazine. By now he was a prolific journalist, writing articles, reviews and books.

In 1945, Orwell's 'Animal Farm' was published. A political fable set in a farmyard but based on Stalin's betrayal of the Russian Revolution, it made Orwell's name and ensured he was financially comfortable for the first time in his life. 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' was published four years later. Set in an imaginary totalitarian future, the book made a deep impression, with its title and many phrases - such as 'Big Brother is watching you', 'newspeak' and 'doublethink' - entering popular use. By now Orwell's health was deteriorating and he died of tuberculosis on 21 January 1950